Elmer O. Stennes Wall Clocks, ca. 1970
Watch
GUEST:
So I brought two clocks. They belonged to my late father-in-law, who loved clocks. He was a jeweler and a watchmaker. And I particularly liked these. I thought they were very pretty clocks. They were made by the same man. I don't know a whole lot about him. I understand he's from Massachusetts. They're signed "Massachusetts," so...
APPRAISER:
The person that made these clocks is one of the more interesting reproduction clockmakers. In the 1960s, he started making clocks of this type here called a girandole clock, which is considered one of America's most beautiful forms, having the gilt case, the convex glass, really nicely decorated. And then also this clock here, which is a design probably by John Sawin, a Boston clockmaker, which is called a lyre clock or a harp clock. Both of these clocks were probably made in the '70s sometime, 1970s. But the forms come 1825, where they were first popular. What makes these clocks particularly collectible is the fact that they were made by Elmer Stennes. He was a really skilled woodworker and who was a very interesting person. Elmer Stennes has the dubious distinction of murdering his first wife.
GUEST:
Oh, my.
APPRAISER:
In the 1970s, well he got in an argument with his wife and shot her. He called the police department himself, said he wouldn't give them any trouble, he had the gun in his back pocket, and come over and get him. They arrested him, and he was released on bail for $25,000. While he was out on bail, he continued to make clocks, and he actually signed some of his clocks "O.O.B.," which stood for "out on bail."
GUEST:
(chuckles)
APPRAISER:
About 1970, he was convicted of not murder, but of manslaughter, and was sentenced to eight to ten years. He served 28 months, and he was paroled. Now, while he was in prison, for whatever reason, he was able to manufacture cases, and those clocks were signed "M.C.I.P." Now, some people say it stands for "made case in prison." Some people argue that it stands for "Massachusetts Correctional Institute, Plymouth." And those clocks are really desirable, because they have that distinction of being made while he's serving time. After he served his sentence for manslaughter, he remarried in, I believe, 1973. A couple of years later, the house was broken into, and two people came into the bedroom and shot Elmer Stennes five times. And allegedly, they thought it was a revenge murder. And, as a result of that story, people actually collect his clocks and his furniture.
GUEST:
Oh, wow. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
And you happen to have two very nice representations of them. Both of these clocks are signed on the dial. Both have his trademark insignia, which is a little fly, which is painted on the dial. This market has somewhat taken a hit in the last couple of years, as a result of the economy. But this particular lyre clock, which is a very nice example, with a very nice paint-decorated tablet, would probably sell in a retail shop for about $4,500.
GUEST:
Wow, okay.
APPRAISER:
This clock here, uh, in today's marketplace, probably has a value of around $6,500.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So, for the collection, you're up around $11,000.
GUEST:
Oh, that's wonderful. Well, that, that's great. Well, we enjoy them so much. We just think they're very beautiful. But what a violent past that, uh, clockmaker had.
APPRAISER:
Right.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
